Dusk
by Leopardfire892
Summary: Cast out from ShadowClan, Duskheart and her mate Gorsepelt travel away from the Clans. But in the search for a new place to call home, Duskheart discovers a secret... and suddenly finds herself fighting for her life, her home, and her freedom.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is related to my other story, Perfect Disaster, so if you haven't read that I suggest you do. This happens long before Perfect Disaster, just so you know :) I don't really have anything else to say, so… on to the story!**

_Dusk is an uncertain time, balanced between the dark and the light, the day and the night. Too much of one or the other could plunge the Clan into evil._

_Beware the jaws of darkness._

Chapter 1

Duskheart stumbled yet again as she staggered through the forest. Her mate, Gorsepelt, steadied her and licked her ear. "Just a little longer and we'll be out of your father's territory," he promised. It was all Duskheart could do to nod wearily.

Her father was Oakstar, leader of ShadowClan. Gorsepelt was from RiverClan. When Oakstar had found out that Duskheart had taken a mate from another Clan, he'd been furious. He decided to exile her, though many warriors wanted to kill her. Gorsepelt refused to leave her, and now the two were outcasts, traveling away from the Clans and into the unknown.

Duskheart had no idea where to go after they reached ShadowClan's border. Everything that she knew was ending; everything seemed to be crashing down around her. She glanced gratefully at her mate. At least she had Gorsepelt.

"Thank you. For coming with me," she meowed. He looked sideways at her. "Of course." He purred and nuzzled her. "I love you." Duskheart sighed happily. "I love you too."

Soon the two were standing on the edge of Clan territory, staring out at the land before them. Ahead of them was a thunderpath. After that rose Highstones. And beyond that were mountains. To their left was more Clan territory. To their right were rolling green hills. It was at these hills that Duskheart looked. She didn't fancy climbing those mountains, and going through another Clan's territory wasn't really an option.

Gorsepelt was watching the hills also. He glanced at Duskheart. "Shall we head for the hills?" He meowed. Duskheart nodded. "I think so."

She crouched along with Gorsepelt by the side of the thunderpath, looking down first one way then the other. A monster appeared as a dark speck at first, growing larger as it came closer. Finally it roared past them.

"Now!" Gorsepelt yowled, and the two of them hurtled across the rough path into the grass. Duskheart hated the sticky surface of the thunderpath, and she shook her paws in annoyance. "Yuck, yuck, yuck," she muttered. Gorsepelt purred in amusement.

Duskheart set off into the hills. Gorsepelt walked at her side. Small bushes dotted the hillsides, offering little cover. Duskheart found herself glancing often at the sky, fearing a hawk or some other bird of prey. Hopefully a hawk would think twice about attacking two cats.

Soon the sky began to grow dark. Duskheart's paws ached, and her head drooped. Gorsepelt led her to a small bush, and the two curled up underneath it. Duskheart was asleep as soon as her head hit the ground.

Duskheart was awoken by voices. She raised her head sleepily, trying to remember._ Am I supposed to be on the dawn patrol? _Beside her, Gorsepelt shifted. Duskheart glanced at him, then shot to her paws.

"We stayed out all night! We'll be caught for sure-" Suddenly she stopped as she remembered what had happened. Gorsepelt blinked groggily at her. "What?" He groaned. Duskheart sheepishly shuffled her paws. "Nothing."

Then she realized what had woke her. Voices. She padded quietly to the outer branches of the bush and squinted out into the sunlight. They'd slept late- it was almost sunhigh. In the long grass a few feet away, four cats stood muttering. When Duskheart crept closer, she could just barely make out what they were saying.

"Well, what are we going to do with them? We can't just leave them there. Maybe they're here to take over our territory!"

"Two cats, here to take our territory? Highly unlikely, Viper. They're probably just passing through."

"You would say that, Star. Not everyone is going to be your best friend, you know."

"Enough, you two! She's awake!"

Three of the cats outside whipped around as the fourth, a dark gray tom, waved his tail at Duskheart. The black one- Duskheart was pretty sure he was called Viper- bared his teeth and took a threatening step forward. Gorsepelt stepped up beside Duskheart, a growl rumbling in his throat. A long-furred cream she-cat hurried to Viper's side, whispering urgently in his ear, while the last one, a light brown tabby she-cat, walked forward calmly.

"We mean you no harm," the tabby meowed, then added with a sharp glance at Viper, "Most of us, anyway. I'm Dwyn, and this is Viper, Star and Arven." Dwyn motioned to the cream she-cat when she said Star, and the gray tom was Arven. Duskheart dipped her head in greeting. "I'm Duskheart, and this is Gorsepelt," she meowed. Dwyn and Viper exchanged glances. "You wouldn't happen to be from the Clans, would you?" Arven meowed.

"As a matter of fact, yes we are. Why?" Gorsepelt meowed in surprise. Arven shook his head. "No reason," he meowed casually.

Dwyn spoke again. "What are you doing here?" She asked coolly. "We're just passing by," Gorsepelt meowed quickly. "We're looking for somewhere to, umm…" He trailed off. Star flicked her tail. "Settle down?" She offered, looking significantly from Gorsepelt to Duskheart. Duskheart's fur felt hot. "You could look at it that way," she meowed slowly.

Dwyn eyed them, before meowing "Well then, I suppose you could stay a day or two with us." Viper charged forward. "Dwyn, what are you thinking? We can't just-" But Dwyn stopped him with a severe look. "We will take them to Brisen," she growled. "Come." The tabby turned and stalked away. Viper, with a last angry glance at the Clan cats, ran after her. Arven and Star lined up behind Duskheart and Gorsepelt, who looked at each other worriedly.

It appeared they had no choice but to follow the mysterious cats.

**A/N: How did you like it? Please review and tell me! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hi! Thank you all so much for reviewing :)**

**Grasswing of Wingclan: Thanks! I'm so glad you like it. I can't wait to find out if I'm right about Grasspaw's name now!**

**Amberleaf4273: Thanks!**

**Alifandoms: Thank you! I really enjoy thinking up descriptions for the characters.**

**Emily0130: Aww, thank you so much! And thanks for your advice, I always love that. Dwyn is supposed to be Dwyn, it is… Welsh, I think. It's technically pronounced "Doo-in" but it is supposed to be said fast so that it sometimes sounds like Dwin. **

**And please r&r my other story, Perfect Disaster. Thanks again, y'all :)**

Chapter 2

Gorsepelt's light brown tabby pelt was bristling as they walked. Duskheart knew how he felt. The fur at the back of her neck was prickling, and she glanced around as they padded after Dwyn and Viper. Instead of feeling too open, as it had yesterday, the hills now seemed to be crowding around them, closing them in. Duskheart shivered.

Suddenly Dwyn stopped and turned around. "We're here," she announced. Duskheart glanced around, confused. "Here" seemed to be at the foot of another large hill. In front of them was a small bush, and she couldn't see anything unusual.

Dwyn turned and ducked under the branches of the bush, and with a last glare at the Clan cats, Viper followed. For a moment Duskheart stood there, uncertain. Gorsepelt glanced at her, his blue eyes filled with nervousness. Then Arven growled from behind them. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

Duskheart took a deep breath and padded under the bush, Gorsepelt right behind her. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she took a step forward- then leaped back with a gasp, accidentally crashing into her mate. Gorsepelt hurried to her side. "What is it?" He panted.

Right in front of them, almost underneath their paws, was a dark hole that Duskheart had almost fallen into. Now she could see that it was a steep tunnel, heading down under the hill.

"Come on now, let's go!" Called an impatient Arven. Gorsepelt growled but lead the way into the tunnel. "It's not too bad," he meowed back to Duskheart. "Come on." Duskheart stepped into the tunnel, feeling Gorsepelt's tail brush her nose. Slowly she padded deeper into the darkness.

Before she knew it, they were standing in an enormous cavern lit by a small hole- no, several holes, Duskheart realized, looking around- overhead. On the far end of the cavern, a regal white she-cat sat on a pile of something Duskheart couldn't quite make out. Several other cats hurried around her, doing various things. Duskheart watched with interest as a young she-cat carried grass over to what looked like a large bed. A queen curled up with kits on another bed. A dark brown tom carried fresh-kill to a pile near a pool of water.

Dwyn walked up to the white she-cat. As Duskheart drew closer, she discovered that the she-cat was sitting on skins. She saw mice skins, vole, shrew, squirrel, and… was that a cat skin?

Dwyn interrupted her thoughts by bowing her head to the white cat and meowing reverently, "Brisen." The white cat, Brisen, nodded to the tabby. "Speak, Dwyn," she purred. Dwyn raised her head. "We found travelers at the edge of our territory." She hesitated, then added "They are from the Clans."

Brisen's head snapped around to look at Duskheart. "You. What is your name?" She growled. Duskheart's jaw dropped open, and she glanced around quickly before looking back at Brisen. "Me?" She squeaked. Gorsepelt brushed against her pelt reassuringly. "Why do you want to know?" He challenged Brisen.

Suddenly the entire cavern went silent as cats stopped what they were doing and twisted their heads to stare at Gorsepelt. Gorsepelt shuffled his paws, but didn't take his gaze off of the white she-cat on the skins.

Brisen eyed him for a moment before slowly standing up. She puffed out her chest and took a deep, threatening breath before growling, "How dare you question the great Brisen? How _dare_ you talk so insolently to me? _How dare you-_" Dwyn darted forward and whispered something in Brisen's ear. Brisen glared at Gorsepelt, then slowly settled back onto the skins. "I will let you live. _For now_," she hissed, and glanced around the cavern. "Well? What are you all staring at? Get back to work! Bree! Angus!"

The cats quickly hurried back to their jobs. Two of them, a tiny dark brown tabby she-cat with brilliant green eyes and a large black and white tom with amber eyes rushed over to Brisen, who looked at them disdainfully. "Angus, take this tom to the cave." She meowed. Angus stepped forward, but Gorsepelt pressed himself against Duskheart. "What about her?" He demanded angrily. "I'm not leaving her!"

Two more cats came over. One crashed into Duskheart; taken by surprise, she was easily knocked over and pinned down. The other helped Angus to drag Gorsepelt away, toward another tunnel. Duskheart struggled, and had managed to dislodge the cat on top of her when another leaped on her, pressing down on her throat. With startling suddenness, the world went black.

**A/N: Brisen is pronounced Bree-sen. It means "Queen" so that was why I chose it. Also, Angus means "Strong", Arven means "Battle worthy" Dwyn's meaning is kind of disputed; I've seen "Wave" "To steal" and "Holy" but anyways, Bree's name- well, I won't tell you what Bree's name means, because that would spoil things :) Sorry for the short chapter! I will update soon, don't worry ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I lied when I said I'd update soon, didn't I? Sorry… Anyways, thanks to Pebblewish and Willowsmoke of ShadowClan for reviewing!**

Chapter 3

Duskheart groaned and forced open her eyes. At first everything was dark, and panic clutched at her. Slowly her eyes adjusted, and she realized that she was in a small cave with a tunnel leading off to her right. Behind her was a tiny hole in the dirt wall to let in some light.

Remembering what had happened, Duskheart leaped rather stiffly to her paws and hurried towards the tunnel. Just outside it she paused, then quickly ducked inside. In here it was all dark, and she nearly ran in to the side of the tunnel when it took a sharp turn. Suddenly she emerged into a small cave that was filled with moss, grass, and some feathers.

A gray she-cat entered the cave from another tunnel, and Duskheart dove behind a large pile of the bedding. The cat rolled some moss into a bundle and left through a different tunnel. Duskheart slowly crept out from her hiding place and looked around. There were three tunnels leading out of the cave, including the one she had come from. Duskheart chose the tunnel that the she-cat had come from and padded into it.

This tunnel slowly curved towards her right, then back towards her left. Sometimes there were side tunnels leading off in various directions, but Duskheart ignored them and continued on her path. Finally she reached the end.

Standing in the entrance to the tunnel was another cat. Duskheart recognized her as Bree, the small dark brown she-cat from… Earlier today? Yesterday? Duskheart wasn't sure how long she'd been out.

Bree jumped when she noticed Duskheart watching her, and glanced around nervously. When she realized nobody else was there, she darted forward. "You are Duskheart, correct?" The tiny she-cat asked.

Duskheart slowly dipped her head. "Yes," she meowed, her voice guarded.

Bree shook her head. "What are you doing here? It is dangerous."

Duskheart simply shrugged.

Bree sighed and with a last glance around, flicked her tail at Duskheart. "Follow me. If they see you…" She hurried back into the tunnel and into a small side cave. However, Duskheart hesitated. Should she trust this cat? Probably not. But her paws seemed to have a will of their own and they carried her after Bree.

Once inside, Bree sat down. "Why are you in the hills? What about your Clans?"

Duskheart shook her head in surprise. "How do you cats know about the Clans? And where's Gorsepelt?" She demanded.

Bree scrunched up her face. "Gorsepelt is fine. He's being kept in a cave under the East Hill." Seeing Duskheart's confused expression, she added, "The East Hill is the hill to the east of this one. This hill is the center hill, the entryway, you could say." She paused for breath, then continued. "As for how we know about the Clans, well… You'll find out later."

Duskheart studied Bree, hostility plain on her face. "Why are you here? Why are we here?"

"You ask many questions, Clan cat," a voice behind them meowed coolly. Bree crouched down in fear as Brisen, the white she-cat, walked forward. Her steps were even, her head was high, the way she held herself gave off an air of elegance… Duskheart hated her.

"Bree is not _supposed_ to be here, or so I thought. Unless she was given different orders…?" Brisen leaned in close to the quivering brown she-cat.

Bree shook her head, stuttering "N-no, Brisen, I-" And then she began speaking pure nonsense- at least, that's what it sounded like to Duskheart. But Brisen nodded, looking pleased.

"That is enough, Bree. Now run along, while I take care of matters here," The white she-cat meowed. Bree backed away, then turned and fled.

Brisen rolled her eyes and turned back to Duskheart. "That wretched excuse for a cat, she can't do even one thing right," she scoffed. Duskheart glared at her distrustfully as Brisen sat down calmly. "Alright, Clan cat. Since you're here," she paused disapprovingly, then went on, "we may as well talk. You know of the Moonstone, yes?"

Her surprise must have showed on Duskheart's face, because Brisen purred coldly. "Yes, I know about that. You're not the first cat from the Clans to visit. Now, I need you to take me to this Moonstone."

Duskheart snorted. "And why do you want that?"

"My reasons are mine alone."

"You think I'm just going to take you to the most important place of the Clans?"

"Yes. If you do, I'll let you go, and you can return to your happy life. It's not like I'm going to destroy the Moonstone."

Duskheart considered this. "I'm not taking you until you tell me why you want to go there."

Brisen sighed in frustration, lashing her tail. Finally she gave in. "I want to see someone."

"That's it?" Duskheart asked, startled. Brisen seemed to be telling the truth.

"Yes. Now will you take me?"

**A/N: Sorry, it's short. But at least it's something, right?**


End file.
